Whenever you see the final product of a well prepared potato,
persons hardly ever think about the effort that goes into producing it.
Potatoes can be purchased from any local food store and are quite simple
to cook with so many different forms which is what makes it such a
great selection for the kitchen. Potatoes may be baked, mashed, or put
into soups but in most instances it is used as a side component to other
foods.
Potatoes are some of the easiest ground produces to grow
and there are a couple effective methods for growing it. Most potato
crops will bear excellent quality vegetables but it requires time and
consistency to be grown successfully. Once you practice caring for them
continuously your produce will come out looking nice and plump. If you
own a decent sized yard or farm land you can think about planting your
very own potatoes. Potatoes will be even more tastier with the
acknowledgment that you were the one that actually planted them.
How To Grow Potatoes
Required Tools:
- Garden spade
- Garden fork
- Shovel
Required Materials:
- Water
- Potato seeds
Instructions are as follows:
1. Purchase
your potato seeds and keep them some where warm that is exposed to light
for around a week or two before you plan to sow them. This will
stimulate them to begin sprouting about a day or two prior to planting.
Use a blunt, clean knife to sever the larger potato seedlings into
smaller seeds so that every seed is about 1½ - 2 inches square with a
minimum of 1 or 2 buds, the smaller potatoes can be sown as whole. In
the next days the seed will produce a tough callous over the cuts, which
will aid to prevent it from decomposing once it is planted.
2.
The earth on which the potato will be grown should be evenly damp but
not exceptionally wet or soggy. Potato crops should be planted during
early spring. The potato wont begin to grow until the temperature of the
soil is around 45 ͦdegrees F.
3. The location where you plant
the potatoes must be exposed to full sunlight because potatoes require
the full sun to grow successfully. Because potatoes are easy to rot, the
best crops are produced when they are planted in sunlight. To have a
really successful crop you can start sowing the seeds in the early
season about late April or early May when the soil is warm enough.
4.
There are several techniques you can use for planting the potato crops,
they can be grown in rows or mounds. If you are planning to develop
potatoes annually then the best practice is to grow them in rows.
Growing them in rows will promote big and healthy potato crops. If you
simply want to grow a tiny bunch of potatoes instantly in a small
location then the best method to employ is to grow them on a mound.
Around five to eight potato crops can be sown for each mound. When
planting the potato on a mound, they should be grown in a circle so that
each potato will have adequate room. If you are growing the potatoes in
rows then you can utilize the fork and the shovel to dig a group of
trenches and separate the seeds fifteen inches apart from each other so
each potato has adequate room to grow.
5. During growth period,
the soil should be rotated with well drained, moisture retentive loam
that is light and loose. Whenever the peas are ripe or the potato plant
begins to flower then it is time for it to be harvested. During this
time it should also create a yellow looking vine that sometimes die.
6. Each time the potatoes are being stored they should be stored in a dark area where the temperature is about 40 degrees.
Tips and Warnings
*
Because potatoes are so prone to several serious diseases, make sure
that you buy certified seeds that are germ free that have been chosen to
give you the best results with the most chance of having a successful
harvest. These seeds can be found at most quality nurseries and garden
centers. Don't utilize the potatoes from in the supermarket because your
seed even if they look healthy but they are not appropriate for gorwing
potatoes.
* When it is time to plant potato seeds, don't utilize
soil that is water logged for growing the potatoes, this will result in
the soil to cake up and your seeds may decompose before they get the
chance to develop.
*After sowing potatoes you should arrange a
system for frost protection for them while they are young. You can use a
loose sheet of straw or a plastic tent momentarily and remove it during
the sunny days. If you need to keep potatoes during the winter, you can
plant another crop as late as June 15.
*Potato crops should
always get enough sunlight and water each day while growing. To get the
best results, wet up the potatoes very early in the morning so they get
time to absorb the water and dry throughout the day. This is suppose to
increase the chance of maintaining a very successful crop.
* If you want to grow potatoes every year, the potatoes should be spun on a 3 year system which means you need 3 suitable sites.
Survival 101: Complete Handbook to Help You Prepare Your Kids for Wilderness Survival (Survival 101, Wilderness Survival Guide,Kids survival books)
100 Frugal Living Tips: Live Frugally and Save Money on Everything (Spend Less Money, Save Money Tips, Frugal Life, Living Frugally, Ways to Save Money, How to Save Money)
to heat their small house and had used only that for 3 years. She said that it did not really affect their power bill and they had not used their natural gas heater in the past 3 years. I saved and saved and finally got us one and it came on Saturday. We got it out of the box and hooked it up! It is very nice looking and great looking when it is on with no heat - Looks like a real fireplace. Turn on the heat and it blows out of the bottom and instantly there was heat coming out of it. I love it and my hubby wants me to save for a 2nd one!! Anything to keep us from having to use our natural gas for heat next winter. That bill is sky high. Having just the one bill for electric would be nice. With the gas we also have the electric bill still so it is always double in the winter. About the normal $140.00 a month for electric AND about $120.00 to $150.00 for the gas bill , just for the heat. That is way too high. If we can have about $150.00 bill each winter month for just electric that would be awesome. I had seen one at a flea market, but it was a lot smaller. In the above picture , mine is sitting in front of my freezer!
